1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to multimedia production studios and more particularly to a method for constructing a database query from an intuitive browser driven user interface to a database system containing diverse multimedia data assets.
2. Related Art
The production of multimedia works is a complicated, expensive and time consuming process that can involve huge production teams, enormous budgets, and resources of entire production studios. As used herein, the term multimedia works can include all types of films including animated films, videos and conventional analog films. Such films may include the use of animation and/or computer generated graphics. Further, multimedia works can include interactive movies, video games and other entertainment and educational type of content that run on personal computer systems, dedicated game consoles, kiosk machines and the like. It is becoming more common that the production of multimedia projects consume monetary budgets and other resources that have traditionally been associated only with the production of major Hollywood feature films.
Large production teams can consist of hundreds of people working together on a single multimedia project. Many different computerized tools are typically used to create, edit, and otherwise manipulate the diverse multimedia data which typically comprises a variety of heterogeneous formats and structures. Even during the production of conventional analog films, computerized tools may be used early on in the development process to model the film, for example. Thus, production studios must manage, store and track the vast amounts of multimedia data during the production process. It is desirable that such data be readily available to all members of the production team in a fast and efficient manner.
Multimedia data, as the term is used herein, includes any and all types of data that is useful during the production of a multimedia work. This not only includes data that is ultimately a part of the multimedia end product, but data that is used during the creation process, such as early prototypes and inspirational art. For example, early prototypes may be in the form of sketches, models, storyboards, workbooks or the like. Inspirational art is used during the creation process, but is generally not included in the end product. For example, during the process of creating a video game of an automobile race, it may be useful to view actual film footage of the Indianapolis 500. If such a film clip is used in this manner it is typically stored in the production studio's database so that it can be viewed by the author and shared among the members of the production team.
Further, each instance of multimedia data does not necessarily comprise multiple data components or different types of media. Multimedia data can comprise data of a single media type. For example, a TIFF data file is an industry standard for a compressed data format that comprises a single still video image. Thus, even though a TIFF file comprises a single media type, it is considered to be multimedia data because it can be used during the production process of a multimedia production. Likewise, an MPEG data file, which is an industry standard for a compressed data format that comprises full-motion video as well as audio data components, is another example of multimedia data.
Typically, it is very difficult to find particular multimedia data elements (hereinafter referred to generally as `data assets`) that are stored in the vast storage facilities of a production studio. This is particularly true due to the sheer number of data assets that are managed by a production studio and the nature of the data assets themselves. Such data assets typically provide little evidence as to their contents. Conventionally, in order to find particular multimedia data assets, users are required to browse through a file management system or perform computer database searches based on a database query.
Browsing files within a file management system generally entails using a file browser that allows the user to traverse nodes in a file system hierarchy. Generally, the user is provided with very little information about the data assets. Such information includes for example, a file name, which may not be at all descriptive of its contents, creation and/or modification date(s) and possibly a brief description.
Formulating computer database queries may be equally if not more cumbersome. Such queries typically involve filling out electronic forms by specifying specific values assigned to pre-defined attributes. After the database query is constructed, a database application program searches and retrieves a list of assets that match the specific query. This process may be difficult, especially for studio personal who are not generally versed in computer database technologies. In addition, it is very difficult to retrieve data in this fashion because users must often supply non-intuitive details about the data asset, such as a frame and/or a sequence numbers, file names, key words and the like. Such details may no longer be remembered by a user or may be unknown because the user is someone other than the creator of the database asset.
What is needed, therefore is an improved method for finding and accessing multimedia data assets in a production studio environment.